🏒 The season is winding down… but the work isn’t over yet.

As playoffs approach — or the final games come into view — this episode of The Ride to the Rink is all about how you finish. Because whether you’re chasing a championship or counting down the last few skates, the habits you build right now matter more than you think.

In this solo ride, Lee shares the exact messages he’s delivering to teams across age groups as the season enters its final stretch — lessons that apply no matter where your team sits in the standings.

🚨 In this episode, we cover:

• Why the end of the season is the best time for honest self-reflection
• How to fight burnout, refocus your mindset, and reset your standards
• Why “slow starts” and “slow finishes” are team habits — not accidents
• What coaches really notice during the final games and evaluations
• Navigating ice time, shortened benches, and understanding your role
• How finishing strong impacts how coaches, teammates, and organizations remember you

💡 Whether you’re a player fighting for every shift, a leader trying to pull your team together, or a parent listening along in the car — this is a reminder that character shows up loudest at the end.

📩 Have a question you want us to answer on the show?
Tap the link in the episode description to send it in — anonymously or by name.

👊 Finish strong. Always.

#RideToTheRink #YouthHockey #FinishStrong #HockeyMindset #Playoffs #TeamCulture #HockeyDevelopment #OurKidsPlayHockey

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Our Kids Play Hockey is powered by NHL Sense Arena! 🏒🥽

Heading into 2026, hockey families are asking: How do we get better? More ice time isn’t always realistic — but smarter training is. Sense Arena uses VR and mixed reality to build hockey IQ, confidence, and decision-making for skaters and goalies at their own pace.

🎯 Visit SenseArena.com/OKPH and use code OKPH to get 50% off plus $25 off an annual plan or headset bundle.

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We’re closing the book on 2025 with our annual Year in Review—and the numbers are WILD. From 156 episodes (yep—3 per week) to 4,454 minutes of content (74+ hours) and listeners in 100 countries, this show continues to grow because of one thing: the hockey community sharing it.

We also count down the Top 5 episodes of 2025 (plus an honorable mention), talk through the topics parents are clearly searching for most (tryouts, development, myths, and expectations), and pull back the curtain on what happens after we hit “end recording”—including how titles, transcripts, and social clips help families actually find the episodes they need.

And if you’ve ever wondered whether the show is still growing… November + December 2025 were the two biggest months we’ve ever had. Hockey-stick chart. Straight up.

Key Takeaways

• Consistency wins: 156 episodes in 2025 and no missed weeks in 6 years
• Global reach: listeners in 100 countries and 3,853 cities in 2025
• Top cities: Toronto #1, followed by Minneapolis and Chicago
• Top 10% on Buzzsprout: driven by listens per episode + community sharing
• The search effect is real: the episodes that rank highest are the ones parents need answers to (tryouts, benchmarks, myths)

The Top 5 Episodes of 2025 (Countdown)

• #5: Do Early Hockey Stars Stay Ahead? (Ep. 399)
• #4: What Skills Should My Kid Have at Their Age? (Ep. 390)
• #3: 3 Pieces of Advice Hockey Parents Ask For… and Ignore (Ep. 376)
• #2: Debunking Youth Hockey Myths w/ Bruins Performance Coach Kevin Neal (Ep. 358)
• #1: The Truth About Tryouts and Evaluations (Ep. 355)

Honorable Mention: The Underappreciated Defenseman (Ep. 343)

Practical Tips for Parents (takeaways from this discussion)

• Don’t panic over a 2–3 day tryout window—evaluation happens all season
• Use benchmarks as guardrails, not pressure—kids develop at different speeds
• When you’re stuck at the rink… search the website + share the episode
• Send questions in—some of the best episodes start with a listener email

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Click To Text The Our Kids Play Hockey Team!

Our Kids Play Hockey is powered by NHL Sense Arena! 🏒🥽

Heading into 2026, hockey families are asking: How do we get better? More ice time isn’t always realistic — but smarter training is. Sense Arena uses VR and mixed reality to build hockey IQ, confidence, and decision-making for skaters and goalies at their own pace.

🎯 Visit SenseArena.com/OKPH and use code OKPH to get 50% off plus $25 off an annual plan or headset bundle.

Have A Topic You Want Us To Cover? Let us know!

Please Be Sure To Subscribe & Leave A Review For Us On Apple Podcasts, doing so helps our show grow!

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🏒 What does it really take to go from a 9-year-old hockey player with a dream… to an Olympian and professional hockey player?

In this special Our Girls Play Hockey Mailbag Episode (Part 1), hosts Lee Elias and Mike Bonelli are joined by our very own Olympic and professional hockey player Hayley Scamurra to answer your questions — straight from young players, parents, and families across the hockey community.

After posting a simple call for questions, the response was overwhelming. So many thoughtful, curious, and mature questions came in that this mailbag turned into a two-part series. In this episode, we focus on Hayley’s journey — from youth hockey to college, Team USA, and ultimately the pro game.

💬 You’ll hear Hayley answer questions like:

• How did she go from a 9-year-old player to an Olympian?
• What really separates good players from great ones?
• What skills Olympic coaches actually look for (hint: it’s not just goals)
• What habit did she have to unlearn to reach the next level?
• How important is mindset compared to talent?
• Why making mistakes is actually part of becoming elite

✨ This episode is packed with honesty, perspective, and reassurance for young players who feel pressure to be perfect — and for parents navigating the ups and downs of the hockey journey alongside them.

📌 Coming next: Mailbag Part 2 dives into life as a professional hockey player and the current state of women’s hockey — including the PWHL and what the future holds.

🎧 Listen in, take notes, and remind yourself (or your player) that the journey matters just as much as the destination.

📖 Want a written version you can reference anytime? Check out our companion blog: From Dreamer to Olympian: What Young Players Can Learn from Hayley Scamurra’s Hockey Journey

#OurGirlsPlayHockey #WomensHockey #GirlsHockey #HockeyJourney #MentalGame #OlympicMindset #PWHL #YouthHockey #HockeyParents

Click To Text The Our Kids Play Hockey Team!

Our Kids Play Hockey is powered by NHL Sense Arena! 🏒🥽

Heading into 2026, hockey families are asking: How do we get better? More ice time isn’t always realistic — but smarter training is. Sense Arena uses VR and mixed reality to build hockey IQ, confidence, and decision-making for skaters and goalies at their own pace.

🎯 Visit SenseArena.com/OKPH and use code OKPH to get 50% off plus $25 off an annual plan or headset bundle.

Have A Topic You Want Us To Cover? Let us know!

Please Be Sure To Subscribe & Leave A Review For Us On Apple Podcasts, doing so helps our show grow!

Follow Us On Social Media:

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